The Kingdom and the Leviathan

by beckoning devil

Act II, Chapter IV

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
September 11th, 1851
Day 6 of 21st Infantry's Furlough
Day 31 of the Invasion of Equestria

I didn't wait to get home, and inform my parents of my decision. After a tearful goodbye, I met up with Tom at Chicago, where we were promoted to Sergeants. I didn't have much time to admire my new chevrons, we were stuffed into another train heading toward Fort Bliss, where we would be transferred to the 40th Infantry, a new regiment of conscripts.

On the way there, we were briefed about the current situation of the war. The war had changed from swift engagements of annihilation, into one of attrition. We had lost easily 80,000 men in just a few weeks of open fighting, a statistic that President Fillmore had now dubbed as "unacceptable casualties".

So, we began to dig trenches. This new war required a new kind of strategy, and as such, the old customs of war were no more. To be frank, there were none. This was a war of one race exterminating another, so there was no room for any kind of pleasantry. Civilians that we hadn't already captured were to be considered soldiers, along with any of their doctors and surgeons. Prisoners were not to be taken, because after all, the Equestrians were "animals. Ruthless, vicious, animals who would do the same to you if given the chance," as the manual put it.

In this new kind of extermination, leadership at the regimental level was reformed, with more emphasis on Sergeants and Lieutenants, rather than Colonels and Generals.

When we got to Fort Bliss, I had memorized so much battle doctrines and recited so much pure propaganda that I could easily tell you the proper placement of a battle group in respect to the enemy, I could tell you the number of men required for a volley to be successful, and on and on. I never knew that being a Sergeant would be this hard, yet I was eager for a chance to get away from Philadelphia.

I was greeted by a drill sergeant and then met the men I was to command. I was to command a unit of about 50 regulars, along with Tom. They seemed eager, ready to kill the Equestrian menace. I didn't do anything to try and stop this, I figured that it was natural.

After giving them a short speech, congratulating them on completing training, I got them aboard the train to Ponyville, now a major Headquarters for the Army.

Tom and I decided to split the unit in two sections, Detail A and Detail B, each numbering 25 men. We introduced ourselves to them while on the train, and I began to learn some of their names. Travis, Waldman, Gambino, were a few of those that stood out. I watched their amazement develop as they watched the landscape change, watching the dry farmland develop into the multiple hues of Equestrian territory.

"Remind you of anybody?" I asked Tom, who blushed, remembering the way he had looked with more curiosity than the others.

We finally reached Ponyville, and I assembled the men into an inspection formation, as a thin, young, and well-dressed gentleman in uniform, stepped forward. Accompanying him was a rather dirty looking Lieutenant, that I could see from the feather that he wore.

"Greetings, men of the 40th Infantry!" The other gentleman called out to us, drawing the attention of the nearby soldiers that were patrolling the city.

I noticed the looks of some of the Pony civilians that looked at us, staring from their windows. Looks of disgust.

"I am Colonel Keys, your new commander. I know that some of you were expecting me to march you off to battle, but that's not the way this army works anymore. We must rely on attrition to win the day, and the ability of the human to endure. And most of all, this army needs discipline." Right. I'd seen the results of discipline at Ponyville and Canterlot.

He then gestured to the Lieutenant, who didn't bother to give us his name.

"We are going to be occupying trenches that were held by the 24th Infantry, before they were rotated. Our orders are simple, to dig in, and take no prisoners. Any questions?" He was rather brief, perhaps he didn't want to get to know the faces of the men that would soon be dying.

A soldier's voice behind me called out, "Sir, where will the rest of the regiment be?"

"An excellent question." Colonel Keys started, "They will be occupying our flanks, however, our position is where there is a salient in our lines, which should ensure that you get your fill of killing these Equestrians."

I noticed the grimaces of some of the soldiers that were on patrol, knowing what we would run into. It seemed the Army listened to everyone but its veterans. I sympathized with them, seeing fresh meat for the grinder, that didn't know what it was getting into.

"Any other questions? No? Then let's move out." Tom and I formed the men into a column of fours, and we began marching through the city. Colonel Keys stayed behind, and began to brief the next group of soldiers.

I have to say, it looked more organized than it did before. We passed through the town square, and I noticed a rather disgusting smell. "Hey, Lieutenant, what's that smell?"

"Why, the smell of the fires."

"What fires?"

"We burn their dead, Sergeant. It's our personal way of demoralizing them, to burn their dead. Remember, Sergeant, this is war." His by-the-books answer did little to soothe my stomach, and I soon lost my breakfast all over myself.

We soon reached the edge of a section of woods that gave me chills just looking at it. "This is the Everfree forest, gentlemen. I'll give the Sergeants a briefing when we get to our trench." As we marched deeper into the forest, I felt a distinct sense of dread forming within me.

At last, we reached our trenches, slits dug into the earth.

"Alright, get in, everyone, quickly!" The Lieutenant began to yell, "They have artillery sighted on this area, get to the trench, NOW!"

The column of fours began to dissolve into chaos as confused soldiers began running toward the trench.
I jumped in, along with the others, as Tom and I echoed the orders of the Lieutenant.

"Incoming!" I don't know who said that, but I heard that familiar whistle soon enough. "Brace against the sides! Hug the sides!" The trench was dug deep enough to allow a man to stand comfortably, with about three inches' space below the top.
The artillery shells began bombarding us, as I pressed my body against the wall. I closed my eyes as it hit a tree near us, sending splinters over us.

So we lay there, for a good 10 minutes, hugging the sides of the trench for dear life, as artillery shells exploded all around us.

I suppose that the pony spotters had seen that we hadn't taken any losses, so the artillery subsided until it eventually stopped.

"Alright, everyone off the walls." I called out, and the soldiers began looking around, wiping dirt off themselves as Tom took a head count.

I looked over at the Lieutenant, and asked him if I should send a team out to figure out where the artillery was coming from.

"Welcome to the salient, Sergeant. Here, we take what they give us, because we know that to try and stop them will lead to our deaths."

Comments

[Sean Mulligan]

Their is no way that 1851 America could sustain 80,000 casualties in a few weeks. That is more then the number of Union casualties during an average year in the American Civil War and slightly less then the American casualties during the Battle of the Bulge which lasted over a month. The 9 month siege of Petersburg, resulted in only 42,000 casualties.

[beckoning devil]

2380654
Hell, the USA and the CSA lost roughly a combined total of 40,000 in three days at Gettysburg, and the year before that, lost about 22,000 one day at Antietam.

Also, keep in mind that the Union Army during the Civil War was able to field number a total of 500,000 volunteers (authorized by the Congress on July 22nd, 1861). And this was just one half of the country. The Confederates were able to raise 500,000 men, and an estimated 2,000,000 men were involved (just the Confederate side) at any time during the war. This number takes into account guerrillas and state militias.

So, in my opinion, the Untied States could raise an army of 600,000, and though it would be a huge strain on the economy (which is shown in the story), it is possible.

I respect your opinions, and you have proven that you are smarter than most of the people I talk with about this era of U.S. history. Enjoy the story!

[normalshearstress]

Burn the dead......
Why not cut off their head and fling it to the pony's side? Like in tlotr

[Tenebris Caeruleus]

Love how this war is based on a misunderstanding, too.